Abstract: The present invention provides enhanced dropdown selection lists and combination boxes. A method in accordance with an embodiment includes: providing a graphical user interface (GUI) control that displays a dropdown list when actuated, and displaying indicia in the GUI control indicating a number of entries in the dropdown list, wherein a user can visually determine from the indicia the number of entries in the dropdown list prior to display of the dropdown list. A method in accordance with another embodiment of the present invention includes: providing a GUI control having an entry field; and displaying indicia in the GUI control indicating whether the entry field of the GUI control is writable, wherein a user can visually determine from the indicia whether the entry field of the GUI control is writable before placing a cursor in the entry field.

Abstract: Non-negotiable credits can be identified that are from a game associated with an entity with which previous interactions have occurred. The previous interactions can earn the non-negotiable credits. A quantity of the non-negotiable credits can be converted to a quantity of negotiable funds. The converting can be performed by a different legal entity than the entity. Access to the quantity of negotiable funds can be permitted for purchases with at least one vender that does not honor the non-negotiable credits. The identifying, the converting, and the permitting can be performed by computing equipment having at least one processor executing program instructions that are digitally encoded in at least one storage device.

Abstract: The disclosed solution provides a tailored user experience available through a Web portal that addresses the multiple-view, multiple-data needs of operations, supervisory, policy making, and executive personnel of an organization. These various roles can all be concerned with measurement/assessment of an organization's compliance with performance targets, for which real-time, near real-time or other metrics are gathered. The metrics can be presented in a role tailored fashion to the portal users in near real-time along with federation of analysis and trend calculation output. Business logic can be applied to the federated data and near real-time metrics to automatically effectuate actions and/or to suggest responses when received metrics exceed previously established boundaries. Collaboration tools and Web 2.0 information sharing technologies can be integrated in the portal to facilitate rapid coordinated responses and to share information across the organization.

Abstract: Non-negotiable credits earned from previous interactions with an entity can be identified. A quantity of the non-negotiable credits can be converted to a quantity of negotiable funds. The converting can be performed by a different legal entity than the entity. Access to the quantity of negotiable funds can be permitted. The quantity of negotiable funds are able to be applied to one or more purchases with at least one vender that does not accept the non-negotiable credits in absence of the converting. The identifying of non-negotiable credits, the converting, and the permitting of access to the negotiable funds can be performed by computing equipment having at least one processor executing program instructions that are digitally encoded in at least one storage device.

Abstract: A method of routing messages to multiple consumers comprises determining a probability function defining message classification probabilities for each of a plurality of consumer sets, receiving a plurality of messages, classifying each message, storing each message in a queue, receiving notification of a consumer available to process a message, ascertaining the consumer set to which the available consumer belongs, accessing the probabilities for the ascertained consumer set, selecting a message classification according to the accessed probabilities, and transmitting a message, of the selected classification, to the available consumer.

Abstract: A Web page of a Web application can be identified. The identified Web page can include an applet. A navigation action from the identified Web page to another Web page of the multi-page Web application can be detected. A state of the applet can be automatically saved before the applet terminates and the next Web page is navigated to. A navigation action to return to the identified Web page can be detected. This navigation can cause the previously saved applet state to be automatically retrieved and applied to the identified Web page so that the Web page is presented in a state that it was in when last navigated away from.

Abstract: A contextual data server can provide a contextual data response for a contextual data request. A contextual data response can include at least client-requested data for the contextual data request and contextual differences data. The context-enhanced multi-perspective user interface can present the client-requested data received from the contextual data server in at least two related data viewing areas. Synchronization of the client-requested data presented in the at least two related viewing areas can be maintained using a presentation context, which is a part of the context-enhanced multi-perspective user interface that is not visually rendered.

Abstract: A hybrid database can receive a hybrid query for an object having a real world analog. A feature of a set of feature records can be determined that corresponds to the object. Feature-level attribute values of the feature can be extracted from the feature records. A volumetric envelope forming an outer boundary of the feature in a volumetric storage space of the hybrid database can be determined. A set of uniquely indexed voxels can be determined. Each voxel can be a volumetric unit of the volumetric storage space that represent the volume contained by the volumetric envelope. Voxel-level semantic values can be extracted from the set of uniquely indexed voxels from voxel records. Extracted voxel-level semantic values and extracted feature-level attribute values can be combined to generate a hybrid result. The hybrid result can be conveyed to a requestor from which the hybrid query was received.

Abstract: A solution for centrally managing and federating outage specific information and for rapidly providing controlled access to this information in a role tailored fashion. The information can be gathered and provided in real-time along with programmatically determined proposed actions. An information recipient can configure and dynamically change the manner in which the information is presented, so that relevant information for that recipient can be rapidly digested. For example, a manager with a moderate level of technical knowledge may want information to be presented pictorially and in summary fashion, while a highly technical troubleshooter may want to configure information presentation to show key network statistics and values. In one embodiment, outage information can be presented in a Web portal having multiple discrete and customizable portlets, which include a geography portlet and a system portlet.

Abstract: A user interface for repositioning Web page components that includes an HTML table. Each cell of the table can represents a Web page component that is able to be repositioned. Each cell can include an identifier and a user selectable position control. The identifier can identify the Web page component. The user selectable position control can accept user input designating a position of the component within the Web page. An activation control can accept input entered within the user selectable position control when selected. Activation of the activation control can result in the Web page being reconfigured so that the position of the Web page components corresponds to positions specified by the position controls. In one embodiment, the user interface can be an accessibility option for users having difficulty with a drag and drop interface.

Abstract: Entertainment credits from a game of chance can be identified. The entertainment credits can be associated with an entity with which a user has previously interacted. The previous interactions can earning the entertainment credits, which are non-negotiable credits. Responsive to a user request, a conversion agency can convert a quantity of the entertainment credits to a quantity of negotiable funds, wherein the conversion agency is not directly associated with the entity. The user can be permitted to access the quantity of negotiable funds within a vender storefront physically proximate and distinctly independent of the entity, wherein the quantity of negotiable funds are able to be applied to user specified purchases within the storefront, wherein the vender does not honor the non-negotiable credits.

Abstract: A reconciliation event can be detected. A controlling element of a database can be determined for the reconciliation event. The controlling element can include a preexisting database value for that element that is different from an update value for that element provided within update data. The update data can be provided by an update data source. A last data source that provided the preexisting database value can be ascertained. A priority array associated with the controlling element can be retrieved from a data store. It can be determined from the priority array whether the update data source has reconciliation priority over the last data source. A value of the controlling element in the database can be changed from the preexisting database value to the update value only when the update data source has reconciliation priority.

Abstract: The present invention discloses a solution for a surface based computing device to return passed objects. That is, software of the surface based computing device can permit software objects appearing within a display of a surface based computing device to be passed among users positioned about the surface based computing device. The surface based computing device can also include software maintaining linkages between passed software objects and return positions defined for each of the passed software objects. Further software can be configured to automatically return at least one of the passed software objects from a current position on the display to an associated return position responsive to an occurrence of a return object event relating to that passed software object. Visual representation of the linkages can be optionally shown on the surface based computing device and the passing objects can be optionally animated.

Abstract: The present invention discloses a portable computing device (200) including a processor (202), non-volatile memory (206), and a volatile memory (208). An execute in place (XIP) kernel (210) stored in the non-volatile memory is executed immediately upon powering up the device. As the XIP kernel is executed, the processor maintain state and context information (212) in the volatile memory. The XIP kernel includes user interface and application segments, allow the user to perform some functions immediately upon powering up the device. While executing the XIP kernel and full code instantiation (214) is loaded into the volatile memory. The full code instantiation includes identical code as is in the XIP kernel, in addition to other code. Once loaded, execution is switched (412) from the XIP kernel to the full code instantiation, providing full functionality of the device.

Abstract: An automated method, system, device, and/or computer program for performing risk assessment for an information system. A risk assessment tool can receive a scenario for which to perform a risk assessment. A contextual data model and a set of data instances for the information system can be accessed. The contextual data model can define relationships between physical and logical assets of the information system. The contextual data model and set of data instances can be analyzed in relation to the scenario. An action plan can be generated that addresses the scenario.

Abstract: The present invention discloses a queue manager that includes a smart alias function. The smart alias function can associate a queue name with two or more queues. The queues associated with the queue name for a given operation can be dependent upon programmatically determinable conditions. For example, the queue name (Queue A) can cause a message to be put in a Queue A1 when smart aliased. The same queue name (Queue A) can cause a message to be retrieved from Queue A2 when smart aliased. Additional processing can be performed against messages placed in Queue A1, and post processed messages can be placed in Queue A2. The queue manager can be a component that receives digitally encoded messages, that stores the received digitally encoded messages, and that provides the digitally encoded messages to authorized requesting software applications. The queue manager and the smart alias function can be software/firmware.

Abstract: Enabling workflow awareness within a business process management (BPM) system can utilize a workflow awareness controller that can receive an instantiation request for a workflow. The workflow can be comprised of multiple workflow steps to be performed by the BPM system. From workflow metadata, workflow redundancies, at the instance or step level, can be determined with other workflow instances initiated prior to the receipt of the instantiation request. The workflow metadata can include records that uniquely represent the operating parameter values of the prior workflow instances. When a workflow redundancy exists, persistent workflow data corresponding to the workflow redundancy can be utilized during the performance of a workflow instance of the requested workflow within the BPM system. The persistent workflow data can replace the performance of one or more workflow steps of the workflow instance, which can reduce the redundant performance of the workflow steps for the requested workflow.

Abstract: A method for providing Interactive Voice Response functionality within a multi-tiered telephony environment can identify an enterprise archive file that contains an Interactive Voice Response (IVR) application. The enterprise archive file can contain multiple interpreters for different markup languages. The enterprise archive file can also include a servlet that maps the interpreters to telephony sessions. The enterprise archive file can be deployed within a J2EE compliant application server having a SIP interface. The deployed IVR application can be utilized to provide IVR functions for SIP based telephony sessions.

Abstract: There is disclosed a method, apparatus and computer program for communicating messages between a first messaging system and a second messaging system. The messaging system comprises a set of source queues with each source queue owning messages retrievable in priority order. It is determined that a message should be transferred from the first messaging system to the second messaging system. A source queue is selected which contains a message having at least an equal highest priority when compared with messages on the source queues. A message having the at least equal highest priority from the selected source queue of the first messaging system is then transferred to a target queue at the second messaging system.

Abstract: Prior to transmission, distribution list data associated with a user-defined distribution list can be embedded within an electronic message. The recipients of the electronic message should be members of an electronic communications system. The distribution list data can include a copy of the user-defined distribution list or a reference to a storage location containing the user-defined distribution list where access control policies can be applied. The electronic message can be conveyed to the recipients. In response to the user-selection of a user-defined distribution list during presentation of the electronic message, the recipient can be presented with distribution list options within a user interface. The distribution list options can represent actions to be performed upon the contents of the user-selected user-defined distribution list.